Cranbury Park master plan to move forward

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Common Council approved late Tuesday night the Master Plan for Cranbury Park, setting the stage for improvements to move forward at the park as capital budget dollars allow.

"What happens now is we put some money in the capital (budget) this year for renovation -- we had $100,000 for the windows and window sills in the mansion, and we put in $20,000 for the removal of invasive species on the trails," Michael A. Mocciae, the city's director of recreation and parks, said Wednesday. In general "we would start looking at those projects that are going to bring in revenue. So we'll be looking at southern area close to Cranbury Elementary School, developing another pavilion, restrooms and rental possibilities for the lodge, the old bunkhouse."

The council approved the master plan unanimously after an introduction by Councilman Richard A. McQuaid, who chairs the council's Recreations, Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee, and several questions from council members. Referring to residents' input, McQuaid called the plan "The People's Plan for Cranbury Park."

"By listening to input from residents, we were able to come up with the best plan for Cranbury Park," McQuaid said Wednesday.

"One of the most important things we got in there was (residents) didn't want any development on the west side. That is put in wording in the plan: There will be no development on the west side of the park.. It will be walking paths," McQuaid said.

In recent months, the draft master plan was kicked back between the council and the parks committee for adjustments, and recommendations for a winery and community garden on the west side of Grumman Avenue were yanked from the document.

The master plan was prepared by Stantec, a consulting firm hired by the city, with input from a steering committee that included representatives of The Friends of Cranbury Park.

The resulting plan includes recommendations to, among other things, restore trails, create an adventure playground, and expand the existing playground and perhaps add a water splash pad there.

Other recommendations call for youth day camps, winter ice skating and summer concerts.